Foldable container and blank therefor



Aug. 1933- J. A. CLEMENS 1,923,065

FOLDABLE CONTAINER AND BLANK THEREFOR Filed Dec. 1'7, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1933- J. A. CLEMENS FOLDABLE CONTAINER AND BLANK THEREFOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec.

Mia $275 1933- J. A. CLEMENS 1,923,065

FOLDABLE CONTAINER AND BLANK THEREFOR Filed Dec. 17, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 22, 1933 PATENT OFFICE FOLDABLE CONTAINER AND BLANK THEREFOR John AndrewClemens, Providence, R. I., assignor to Davol Rubber Company, a Corporation of Rhode Island Application December 17, 1931 Serial No. 581,629

13 Claims. (01. 229-36) My present invention relates to containers for transportation and sale, and has particular reference to containers made of cardboard or similar light material and foldable from stamped 5 blanks.

Containers of cardboard and the like have heretofore been of the completely closed type, or else have had open faces to permit usual inspection of the contents, the latter type being provided with cellophane wrappers, if desired. Either type, however, has required sealing or fastening to maintain the parts in closed position, and handling of the contents has necessitated removal of the seals or fastenings, and removal of the cellophane wrapper, if any, thus unmistakably indicating such previous handling. It is the principal object of my invention. to provide a container that requires no seals or fastenings for maintaining the parts in closed position, that may have a cellophane covering, if desired, and that permits both visual inspection and manual handling of the container contents with no indication of such inspection and handling.

A further difficulty found in the construction of containers folded from blanks resides in a lack of strength and resistance to buckling, particularly at the corners, and a tendency to open, particularly if subjected to rough handling and bending strains, or if the contents are of substantial weight. The containers have therefore been provided with reinforced corners and other aids for increasing resistance to bucklingand opening, but such additional aids have increased the cost of manufacture and assembling. It is a further object of my invention to provide a container foldable from a single blank, with self-reinforced rigid corners, and with cooperating locking parts that cannot be unlocked by ordinary rough usage and handling, but must be manually distorted to either open or close the container.

The containers designed for inspection of contents also have another disadvantage, in that it is difficult to apply cellophane or other transparent material to the face only of the container, thus increasing the amount of cellophane required and the cost of manufacture and assembly. An additional object of my invention is therefore to provide a container construction that facilitates the application of cellophane to the face only of the container and thus adds to j the attractiveness of the package without exces sive increase in the cost thereof.

With these and other objects and advantageous features in view, the invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a suitable blank for the container;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the novel container, in closed position; A

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the container in open and partly unfolded position; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cooperating locking parts, in partly closed position;

Fig. 5 is a similar view, with the parts in full closed position and sealed;

Fig. 6 is a detail fragmentary view of a rear corner, assembled;

Fig. 7 is a detail fragmentary view of a front corner, the top being open;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a blank for a modified form of container;

Fig. 9 is a. detail fragmentary view of one end of the modified form in folded position; and

the front edge strip has a vertical slot 18 and 19.

adjacent each end thereof; the side edge strips have rear tabs. 20, 21, side tabs 22, 23, and front tabs 24, 25 which are slit as shown at 26, 2'7 and 28, 29 to provide lock teeth 30, 31 engageable with the slots 13, 19 as hereinafter described.

The top 32 is joined to the back edge strip as shown, and has a front cover strip 33 provided with spaced tabs 34, 35 engageable with the slots 16, 17 as hereinafter described. The top may be continuous, open or cut out in any desired manner; it is preferred to-.provide spaced inspection areas 36, separated by cross strips 37 5f any desired configuration.

The manner of assembling the container from the blank is shown in Fig. 3; the front edge, back edge, and side strips are bent up, and the lock teeth 30, 31 are inserted into the slots 18, 19 and swung to bring the slots 18, 19 and 26, 27 in alignment. This produces a rigid look, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The rear tabs 20, 21 and side tabs 22, 23 are bent in so that the side tabs 22, 23 rest on the upper edges of the rear tabs and of the front tabs 24, 25, and the top is brought down, the front cover strip 33 closing over the front edge strip 12; the. tabs 34, 35 are now inserted into the slots 16, 17 to complete the closure.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 4' and 5. the tabs 34.

35 each have an outer curve 38 of small radius forming an acute angle 39 with the edge of the front cover strip, and an innercurve 40 of longer radius. The distance between the outer ends of the slots 16, 17 is exactly. equal to the distance' between the apices of the angles 39, whereby it is necessary to pull the center of the front cover strip 33 out and distort the same to decrease the linear distance between the outer edges of the tabs and thus permit insertion or removal of.

\ The described construction provides an extremely rigid corner structure, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. Thus, Fig. 6 shows a rear corner, with the rear tab 21 vertical, the side tab 23 resting thereon, and the top resting on the side tab. The corner is therefore supported by three vertical members, namely 13, 21 and 15, and one transverse member, 23, thus strongly resisting buckling. Fig. 7 shows a front comer; the side tab rests both on the upper edge of the extreme end of the strip 12, and on the top edge of the tab 25, and is therefore strongly supported.

Although the container is satisfactory as described, it is preferred to use cellophane on the top for excluding dust and improving the attrac: tiveness of the completed package. The cellophane may be applied as a sheath over'the entire referably is affixed to the base container, but 11 at the outsid rear edge, as indicated by the dotted line 42, to the inner side edges ofthe strip 13 and top 33, and to the inner side and-front edges of the strip 33, as indicated by the line 43.

purpose.

The-general construction of the modified form is simiiar to the previously described container, and the'blanlnas shown in Fig. 8, includes a. base 44, a front edge strip 45, a back-edge strip 46,

and two side edge strips 47, 48. The front crease has two spaced-slots 49, 50, and the front edge similar to tabs 34, 35 and engageable with the slots 49, 50, as described with reference to the first form of container. The rear tabs 53, 54 have extensions .65, 66 which terminate in end tabs 67', 68 each slit to provide lock teeth 69', 70

similar to the lock teeth 59, 60.

The folding of the container is substantially as described with reference to the first form,

with the addition that the extensions 65, 66 and the end tabs 67, 68 are folded to form pockets as shown in Fig. 9, the extensions forming the long inner sides, the end tabsbeing folded to respectively engage the lock teeth 69, 70 with the slots 51, 52 to form a double lock at each end of the front edge strip. While the height of the. extensions and the length of the rear tabs and end tabs may be varied as desired to suit the container requirements, it is preferred to form the pocket or pockets to snugly hold the auxiliary devices and to be locked against accidental removal in displacement of the articles therein by the closing of the top; to ensure locking the side tabs 55, 56 are preferably wide enough to cover the pockets, and may be sealed by a gummecl wafer if desired. Whenutilized for articles of more general character, the pockets may be increased in size to divide the container as desired.

The previously described construction of tab and slot arrangement is satisfactory for general use; the locking, however, depends on distortion of the 'tab carrying edge. I have therefore devised an alternative construction, illustrated in Fig. 10, that depends for its lock on distortion of the tab itself, rather than of thetab carrying edge.

The lock tab 71 may be similar to the lock tabs previously described, or may be of other form, the essential feature residing in the formation of the lock tab to provide a length a at the base of less length than the overall dimension b" of the tab. Preferably, one edge 72 0f the tab is perpendicular to the base, and the other edge 73 is rounded, with an inner straight portion 74. The slot 75 for receiving this form of lock tab is preferably somewhat triangular,

with its base 76 equal in length to the length a, one side 77 equal in length to the length 5", and the other sides cut to provide two straight edges 78, 79.

To lock the tab 71 in the slot 75, the tab is distorted or bent or the tab carrying edge may be distorted, if preferred, to pass the overall length of the tab into the slot along the edge 77; release of the tab' fits it along the edge 76 of the slot, with the base of the tab snugly fitting the base of the slot, the straight edges of that tab locking against the straight edges of the s o While I have described specific constructional forms of my invention, it is obvious that changes in the relative arrangement and proportions of the partsmai? be made, within the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a container folded from a blank, a base having a rear strip, a front strip having slots .adjacent the ends thereof, and side strips, the juncture of said base and front strip having spaced slots, each side strip having a rear tab, 9. side tab, and a front tab, said front tabs each havinga lock tooth engageable with the adjacent frontstrip slot, the side tab being adapted to seat on*the upper edges of the rear tab and the front tab and front strip when in assembled position, a top hinged to said rear strip and adapted to seat oversaid side tabs, and spaced tabs on said top adapted to engage said spaced slots.

2. In a container folded from a blank, a base provided with spaced edge slots at the forward edge, having a rear strip, a front strip having, slots adjacent the ends thereof, and side strips,

each side strip having a rear tab, a side tab, and a front tab, said front tabs each having a lock tooth engageable with the adjacent front strip slot, the side tab being adapted to seat on the upper edges of the rear tab and thefront tab and front strip when in assembled position, and a top hinged to said rear strip and adapted to seat over said side tabs, said top having a front cover strip provided with spaced lock tabs insertable into the base edge slots.

3. In a container folded from a blank, a base provided with spaced edge slots at the forward edge, having a rear strip, a front strip having slots adjacent the ends thereof, and side strips, each side strip having a rear tab, a side tab, and a front tab, said front tabs each having a lock tooth engageable with the adjacent front strip slot, the side tab being adapted to seat on the upper edges of the rear tab and the front tab and front strip when in assembled position, and a top hinged to said rear strip and adapted to seat over said side tabs, said top having a front cover strip provided with spaced lock tabs insertable into the base edge slots, the space between the outer edge of the tabs being greater than the space between the outer edges of the slots, whereby said front cover strip must be distorted to insert or remove said tabs.

4. A blank for a foldable container comprising a base having rear, side and front strips, the base having spaced slots adjacent the front strip, and the front strip having transverse slots adjacent the edges thereof, said side strips having rear, side, and front tabs, said front tabs having lock teeth adapted to engage said front strip slots upon folding, and a top joined to said rear strip and having a front cover strip provided with spaced tabs adapted to engage said base spaced slots upon closing of the folded container.

5. In a container folded from a blank, a base portion and a cover portion, said base portion having a front strip, a rear strip, and edge strips folded to form sides therefor, one of said edge strips having an extension folded to lock with said front strip and form a pocket in said base portion.

6. In a container folded from a blank, a base having a rear strip, a front strip, and side strips, said side strips each having a front tab and a rear portion comprising a rear tab, a rear extension, and an end tab, said front strip having slots adjacent the ends thereof, and said front tabs and end tabs having lock teeth, the said lock teeth for the front and end tabs of each side strip being adapted to engage the adjacent front strip slot when in assembled position.

'7. In a container, a base portion and a cover portion, a cooperating tab and slot in said portions, said tab being laterally extended to provide an overall distance greater than the length of the tab base, and said slot having one edge of a length substantially that of said tab overall distance and a second edge displaced from said first edge and of a length substantially that of said tab base, whereby said tab must be inserted and removed along said first edge and is locked in said slot when shifted adjacent said secondedge.

8. In a container folded from a blank, a base having a rear strip, a front strip having slots adjacent the ends thereof, the juncture of said base and front strip having a slot, and side strips, each side strip having a rear tab, a side tab, and a front tab, said front tabs each having a lock tooth engageable with the adjacent front strip slot, the side tab being adapted to seat on the upper edges of the rear tab and the front tab and front strip when in assembled position, a top hinged to said rear strip and adapted to seat over said side tabs and a tab on said top adapted to engage said juncture slot, said tab being laterally extended from its base to an overall length in excess of its base length, and said juncture slot having a length substantially the length of the tab base length, whereby the tab carrying portion of the tab must be shifted in relation to the juncture slot to permit insertion of the tab in the slot and removal therefrom.

9. In a container folded from a blank, a base having a rear strip, a front strip having slots adjacent the ends thereof, the juncture of said base and front strip having spaced slots, and side strips, each side strip having a rear tab, a side tab, and a front tab, said front tabs each having a lock tooth engageable with the adjacent front strip slot, the side tab being adapted to seat on the upper edges of the rear tab and the front tab and front strip when in assembled position, a top hinged to said rear strip and adapted to seat over said side tabs and spaced tabs on said top adapted to engage said juncture slots, each tab being laterally extended from its base to an overall length in excess of its base length, and each juncture slot having a length substantially the length of the tab base length, whereby the tab carrying portions of the top must be shifted in relation to the cooperating juncture slots to permit insertion of the tabs in the slots and removal therefrom.

10. A blank for a foldable container comprising a base section having rear, side and front strips and spaced slots adjacent the front strip, said side strips having rear, side, and front tabs, and a front section joined to said rear strip and having spaced tabs adapted to engage the spaced slots of the front strip.

11. A base section having rear, side and front strips and spaced slots adjacent the front strip, said side strips having rear, side and front tabs, and a front section joined to said rear strip and having spaced tabs adapted to engage the spaced slots of the front strip.

12. A blank for a foldable container comprising a base section having rear, side and front strips foldable thereon, spaced slots in the blank adjacent the line of folding of the front strip, a front section joined to said rear strip and having spaced tabs adapted to engage said spaced slots, said side strips having rear, front and side tabs, the side tab being adapted to lie substantially flat against the rear strip when the blank is folded to reinforce the container.

13. A blank for a foldable container comprising a base section having rear and side strips and a foldable front strip, spaced slots in the blank adjacent the line of folding of the front strip, and a front section joined to said rear strip and having spaced tabsadapted to engage said spaced slots, said side strips having rear, front and side tabs, the side tab being adapted to fold to lie substantially flat beneath the rear strip when the .blank is folded to reinforce the container.

JOHN ANDREW CLEMENS. 

